"Trickle up" theory

Great post, Nrenter. Why do you think it is that you have that experience at Jeff's? And do you ever have it at your place?

Tried to be somewhat light-spirited and “jestful” while still making what I consider a salient point and tried to indicate so by placing several :-)’s but you’ve obviously taken things very personally given your personally pointed response. As such, I will say:

1) I'll wager you've never heard a Spacedeck. Clearly you haven't based on your discussion of "timing" which the 'Nots do exceedingly well (try timing one), while I have heard more than one Lenco.

2) You've made a point to avoid the belt-drive vs. idler wheel-drive debate? Please.

3) When you say the following "I anticipated your type when I wrote ..", you really say it all and expose yourself fully.

My type? - you don't have a clue what my "type" is, especially based on the little I've written here regarding stuff I've built (successes and failures). I may well have begun in this hobby before you were a glimmer and may well have put together more lower priced table and arm combos in my day than you can imagine. But, you'll never truly find out since you’ve already determined "my type". If you ever saw the stuff in my music room you'd quickly realize just how off-base you are. Is my Spacedeck, end all? Certainly not. Could its performance be approached by something cheaper? Always the possibility. OTOH, it gives me the performance I love at a price I think is reasonable and it doesn’t force me back to my days of fiddle farting around, which I don’t have the desire to do anymore. Having done so myself I would never discount anyone's ambition to do such, so please spare me your “stifling creativity” or “thwarting discussion” theory. While I encourage those with the inclination to tinker to go for it, I take umbrage at being denigrated for not doing so.

Have fun with your Lenco projects. I truly hope that these things work out for you and for others and that you will gain immense pleasure in listening to the music and gaining an added satisfaction of having built something yourself (perhaps many for the first time). In the end, however, it is ALL about the satisfaction derived - whether you've spent $50 or $5000. If you can get your kicks having spent less, fine, feel free to wear a smug smile, just don’t expect everyone to notice. End-o-rant! ;-)

NRenter sez:

"Maybe we need to listen to more music while lying on the floor, studying the LP cover like we used to "back in the day.""

I'll second the suggestion of a large dose of THAT! :-)

I second Nrenter's motion. I know my system is right when I can lie down on the couch, forget about the sweet spot, and listen to hours of albums. And oh, he's right about the beer too. Perhaps I have read too much of Art Dudley's stuff, Drubin, after all!

"Why do you think it is that you have that experience at Jeff's? And do you ever have it at your place?"

Great follow-up questions.

1) Part of the reason I enjoy an environment like that is because of the company I keep while listening to music in that environment. I like listening to music with someone who is passionate about music. I like to be given a tour of their music collection - allowing them to share music that they are passionate about, and pointing out what makes them passionate about that particular music. Some of my favorite LPs were introduced to me this way.

Also, I have no obligations while listening to other's systems except be a polite and thankful guest (sometimes I'll bring something interesting musically to share, but most of the time I allow the host to DJ). The child running around isn't mine. The dishwasher isn't mine. That pile of clothes that needs to be put away isn't mine. This allows me to relax and bathe in the music. It's a nice escape.

2) When you host a party, you want everything to be perfect. Perfect food. Perfect drink. Great converation. Interesting guests. Etc. You worry about everyone else having a good time that you yourself do not have a good time. I think this may occur when listening to my system with others.

Also, sometimes when listening to my system, I tend to be overanalytical and overcritical of the system and production ofthe music, and not pay as much attention to the music itself. This is a bad habit that I picked up in college while working as a recording engineer. I focused on the mix and not the music (which is very unfortunate because I recorded some great performances from wonderful performers).

Now, would I trade my system for Jeff's? No way in hell. But my point is that the problem lies with me and not my system. Gimme another Bud...that'll fix it all.